Especially here, in this bar, where we first talked to one another. Where we met onthatnight.
It was only one night, but it kinda seems she was the one who got away.
CHAPTER NINE
Dakota
Charlie wason his last legs as the parade came to an end, so when Alice offered to take him home, and I saw how happy he was with that plan, I agreed.
Actually, Violet agreed. Now she’s dragging me inside the bar to let my hair down. I roll my eyes as she tells me I need to have some fun, but secretly, I’m into the idea. It’s been a while since I could justbe.
We’re greeted with the low hum of conversation, clinking glasses, and country tunes. It feels like the whole town is here.
I catch eyes with people I haven’t seen for a while, such as Abilene Kentwood, who was in my math class, and class clown Willy Kane. Their smiles remind me that while time has passed, I’ll never be able to escape this place completely.
It’s not the kind of night I usually crave. This place is lively, and there’s definitely a bit of rowdiness in the air. I follow Violet to a booth, trying not to feel like I’ve got a target on my back. Or, more accurately, like I’m wearing a sign that says “definitely not ready for this.”
Violet doesn’t waste any time.
She orders drinks before I can even sit down, and I’m already laughing at her. “You’re relentless.”
“Duh,” she says with a wink, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she slides into the booth across from me. “You need to unwind. We’re going to have some fun, even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming.”
I roll my eyes again, but I can’t help the small smile tugging at my lips. “Okay, okay. I’ll try to relax, but no promises.”
Violet flashes me a grin that says she’s already won this round.
She holds up her beer, and I clink my glass against it. “To not thinking about anything but having a good time.”
I take a sip, the cool drink sliding down my throat. The world slows down for a second. This is what I needed. Just a little space to breathe, a little room to feel like myself again, instead of just being Charlie’s mom or the girl with a secret. Just Dakota for a change.
I’m halfway through my beer when I start to feel it. That familiar strain. Someone’s eyes boring into me from across the room.
I glance around, pretending I don’t feel anything, but sure enough, my gaze lands on him.
Clint.
Of course it’s Clint.
He looks like he just stepped out of a Western movie. That broad, rugged frame, the worn jeans, and the deep mahogany-colored cowboy boots. He’s talking to a couple of the other ranch hands, but his gaze is locked on me, and I feel it even from across the room.
Don’t look at him,I tell myself, but it’s like trying to ignore a freight train coming at you.
I look away quickly, as if I didn’t just get caught staring at him like a fool. But Violet, of course, notices.
She’s already looking at Clint. I feel her gaze slide over to me, her grin pulling wider.
“Ooh, it’s like we’re back to that night six years ago, all over again.” A playful smirk curls her lips. “Weird, right?”
I roll my eyes, trying to stifle the heat burning through me. “It’s nothing.”
“Nothing. Right.”
I shrug and take another sip of my beer, hoping it will settle my nerves, but all it does is heighten the buzzing in my stomach.
Clint. Of all people. The last person I want to be dealing with right now.
“He’s been staring in this direction ever since you walked in, Dakota.”
